The East Harlem Neighborhood Plan is a community-based vision and strategy for the future of East Harlem. The Plan was initiated after East Harlem was identified by the City as an area to be rezoned as part of the Mayor’s broader affordable housing goals early in 2014. It was a busy year and a half of meaningful individual engagement and meetings with local residents, businesses, and stakeholders. After the community process was complete, the current version of the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan (EHNP) was presented to the community and submitted to the NYC Department of City Planning and other City agencies in February 2017.

What's happening now?

During Summer 2016, the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP) started to meet with community stakeholders about their response to the neighborhood plan, a proposal titled the East Harlem Rezoning Proposal. On April 24, 2017, the City Planning Commission began the public review process for the rezoning proposal and released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The East Harlem Neighborhood Plan steering committee and sub-groups continue to meet regularly and have established a set of priority recommendations that they have presented to Manhattan Community Board 11 and relevant City agencies.

What's the NYC land use public review process (ULURP)?

Certain land use actions are reviewed by the City Planning Commission in a public review process called the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP). ULURP is a process that helps to determine what affects a rezoning may have on the surrounding neighborhood and integrates opportunity for public input. It also sets a mandated timeline for how the process moves forward.

What comes next?

There will be several public meetings coming up where your feedback on the City’s response to our plan would be incredibly valuable (see calendar below). To get regular notifications about upcoming public meetings please join Community Board 11's email list to stay updated.

About Our Process

The Steering Committee

Comprised of local leaders and organizations with a rich history serving the community, the Steering Committee reviewed the community's needs and concerns, then approved the Neighborhood Plan's recommendations and priorities. Steering Committee membership expanded after the release of the plan.

Sub-Groups

Representatives from the Steering Committee convened smaller groups on specific topics, and invited experts and other advocates to participate. While drafting the EHNP, sub-groups organized existing information, identified priorities, and drafted the recommendations and priorities that were presented to the Steering Committee.

Community Visioning Workshops

There were eight large workshops that were held for the public to participate in identifying needs and concerns to help create a vision for the future of East Harlem. Participation ranged from 85 to 400 participants per workshop (see EHNP pages 12-14 for more details on public engagement).

Our Facilitators

The facilitators were brought on to ensure a smooth flow of information and resources across meetings, topic areas, and participants. They worked directly with the Sub-Groups, Steering Committee, and Community Members to develop implementable recommendations for the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan.

WXY Studio — A planning and architecture
firm with a focus on civic projects in NYC.

Hester Street Collaborative — A planning,
design, and development non-profit organization that provides technical assistance
to underserved communities throughout NYC and the US.

Final Deliverables & Goals

The East Harlem Neighborhood Plan (EHNP) consists of 232 recommendations that are a combination of short- and long-term projects and policies that preserve the cultural diversity of East Harlem, including the ability for long-term residents to stay in the neighborhood and enjoy the benefits of neighborhood change.

* Project Partners facilitate
relationships with relevant City Agencies and contribute to project connectivity,
and meeting facilitation of the topic subgroups, Steering Committee, and Community
Visioning Workshops.